A New You: Be on the lookout for someone your hands can bless

It was Thanksgiving week at a local elementary school, and a kindergarten teacher asked her students to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful. Always spreading cheer, the teacher was going to display the sketches on her board in the school’s hallway for others to enjoy.
Surrounded by a sea of crayons and colorful construction paper, the children were squealing in delight as they began the project. Curiously, the teacher wondered what the children would illustrate. “Maybe they’d sketch a picture of a family member, a table with an abundance of mouth-watering food or a colorful hand-outlined turkey,” she thought to herself.
Later, when it was time to pass in the pictures and the teacher reviewed them, one drawing that a little boy had made caught her eye. She examined the picture closely. It was a simple image of a hand.
The teacher was interested as to why the boy drew a hand as something he was thankful for; so as the other students were working on their next assignment, she called the youngster to her desk.
Then, she looked into his adorable eyes, pointed to his picture and quietly asked him, “Whose hand is this, dear?” Matter-of-factly, the boy murmured, “It is your hand.”
Pausing for a moment, the teacher gazed at the boy with a quizzical look. “My hand?” she replied, “Why my hand?” the teacher questioned.
“You know,” the boy shared, as his sweet voice prattled on, “When we walk to recess, you sometimes hold my hand. At lunch-time, your hands help me open up my milk carton. Your hands put smiley faces on my papers. And on the field trip, your hands tied my shoelaces.”
The joy of those memories was apparent in the broad smile on the young boy’s face. For those little acts of kindness meant so much to him. And thus, he was thankful for his teacher’s hand.
Whose hands are you thankful for today? And what are you doing for others with your hands?
No matter what turns your life has taken, today and every day, you possess everything you need to be a blessing to others. You may be only one person. Yet, one voice, one listening ear, one act of kindness or one helping hand, can completely change the course of events in someone’s life for the better. So be on the lookout for someone ‘your hands’ can bless.
I read somewhere that when Mother Teresa received her Nobel Prize, she was asked, “What can we do to promote world peace?” Mother Teresa replied, “Go home and love your family.” So, let’s start in our own home, for it’s the little things we do that make a huge difference.
Embrace your loved ones. Hold their hand. Pray for them. Laugh together. Look for the good in your spouse and children, whispering often, ‘I love you’ and ‘I appreciate you.’ Kind words can work wonders.
Once, I saw a poster that read: “Take care of your thoughts when you are alone and take care of your words when you are with people.” So, be on the lookout for someone your words can bless. Always express thankfulness for the people in your life. Pass on genuine compliments daily to those you meet. Applaud another’s good efforts. Children may carry childhood messages into their adult lives. Thus, be sure to convey encouraging and positive words to them on a regular basis. Say, ‘You’re a gift from God,’ ‘I’m proud of you,’ and ‘Your future is bright.’ Every kind, affirmative word that you offer to someone else may be one of the most enduring and long-lasting gifts you can ever give to them.
God created us to ‘give.’ He put us in each other’s lives to positively impact one another. Others are watching our example, so let’s never underestimate the power of our actions. A few weeks ago, I noticed that my daughter was in the garage cleaning her helmet and her scooter. Soon after, I asked, “Why did you clean your scooter, honey?” She described how a classmate of hers recently came to America from another country. My daughter had befriended the girl, and during math class one day the girl told my daughter that she was saving her money for a scooter.
My daughter was on the lookout for someone her hands could bless. So she decided to give the girl hers.
The next day after school, my daughter asked if we could drive to the family’s apartment to bring the girl the scooter. And so we did. The girl was overjoyed with the gift. And as we were driving home, my daughter turned to me and said, “We did our ‘good deed’ for the day! You taught me that, mom.” And I smiled, as I remembered a quote “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone....” (John Bunyan)
As you go about your day, be on the lookout for someone you can bless. With every act of kindness, a blessing will follow. When you lift up others, God will lift you. When you help people who come across your path, God will put people across your path to help you. Suddenly, things will turn in your favor. Unexpectedly, a dream will come true. Coincidentally, a need will be met. “For whatever you sow, that you shall also reap.” Galatians 6:7.
So, let’s be thankful for other people’s hands, and let us keep on using our hands for the good of others and …we will be blessed.